The Labour Party said Dominic Raab "needs to take the wool out his ears" and listen to Hillsborough families after he announced an "insulting" plan for an Independent Public Advocate (IPA).
The government today announced plans to introduce an IPA to provide support and advice to victims and their loved ones following public disasters. Dominic Raab officially announced the plans today after the ECHO previously revealed the proposals after seeing a letter from the justice secretary to Hillsborough families.
Mr Raab said the government plans to legislate "as soon as possible" to put victims and the bereaved at the heart of public disaster responses. Mr Raab said "we must learn the lessons" of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster to ensure the "pain and suffering" is not repeated again.
READ MORE: Public advocate for disaster victims to be set up 'as soon as possible'
But the Labour Party and Hillsborough campaigners have branded the government's plans "too weak", saying they fall short of a public advocate scheme long called for by MPs including Maria Eagle. The MP for Garston and Halewood has seen her bill, which focuses on securing an independent advocate to secure public documents, blocked 12 times in the Commons.
Mr Raab's IPA plans were also criticised for not being fully independent and accountable to the families. Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed today said: "Without being under the control of families it won't save lives and prevent cover-ups."
Speaking to the ECHO after his Commons appearance, Mr Reed said: "I think the IPA is insulting to those who have campaigned for their loved ones and for the rest of us. Mr Raab is not listening and that's very disrespectful to people who have suffered incredible loss and have turned that grief into a campaign for justice for everybody.
"The government is not listening to victims or MPs so who are they listening to? There's such a consensus among the families who have campaigned for decades on this point. It's hard to understand why Dominic Raab is holding out against the common sense proposals.
"It seems like he's refusing to listen to reason. He makes tragedies more likely to happen and more cover-ups likely to happen. A system that fails to learn from its mistakes is doomed to repeat them."
The government's proposed advocate has been long delayed after first being proposed by former prime minister Theresa May in 2018. Mr Raab's letter to Hillsborough families said he had sought feedback from Ms May, as well James Jones, who chaired the Hillsborough Independent Panel, and Ms Eagle.
But Ms Eagle told the ECHO: "The government proposal as set out in the letter to families appears to fall far short of that, being a signposting and assistance arrangement appointed by the government with no powers of independent action."
Mr Reed said it's "critical" an IPA would be "fully independent and accountable to the victims and their families". And he urged Mr Raab to meet with the families so the plans can be under their control.
Mr Raab said he had offered to meet with Hillsborough families and welcomed their views. But Elkan Abrahamson, director of Hillsborough Law Now, said the government's engagement with the families had been "almost non-existent".
Mr Abrahamson said: "We will be asking the justice secretary for the same commitment given to us by the Labour Party last year to reintroduce the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill. The bill, often referred to as the Hillsborough Law, would, amongst other things, create a legal duty of candour on public authorities and officials to tell the truth and proactively cooperate with official investigations and inquiries."
The shadow justice secretary also told the ECHO a Hillsborough Law would be a "law with teeth" and a priority already pledged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. And he added this was down to the tenacity and support from Merseyside's MPs who had campaigned tirelessly to give a voice to the families.
Mr Reed said Labour were open to working cross-party to ensure Mr Raab commits to putting "victims at the heart of the justice system". Mr Reed told the ECHO: "Dominic Raab looked isolated by the strengths of the arguments raining down on him from all over the chamber.
"Labour is open to work cross party to ensure Dominic Raab listens to the Hillsborough families. If it takes a Labour government to deliver the justice the families have waited for for over three decades so be it, but if we can get this government to move then I would rather get it done sooner rather than later."
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